When control freak Michael Anderson strikes a bargain with the house sitter next door, he discovers the hardest thing to control might his heart.

LOVE THY SEXY JERK OF A NEIGHBOR…

CEO Michael Anderson might be something of a “control freak.” Still, he’s not quite sure why his therapist thinks dog sitting will fix anything—especially since he and the canine share a kind of mutual loathing. And to make matters worse, a house sitter moves in next door disrupting his peace—and his dates—with the worst possible music at the worst possible time… every time.

Free-spirited artist Mia Argaropolis has settled into the perfect gig—housesitting in NYC’s Upper West Side while working as an art therapist. Too bad she’s stuck living next door to a bossy control freak with a penchant for calling building security when she blasts music to drown out the noises coming through his bedroom wall.

Post-apocalyptic dinner rolls that nearly take her kitchen with them, a douchebag ex, and a Shih Tzu with the personality of Godzilla attack Mia in one day, and her unlikely neighbor comes to the rescue. Like it was her fault. And now, somehow, they find themselves engaged? Both agree, this neighborly feud just got taken to a whole new level.

“Sexy, smart, fun! A fabulous new voice in contemporary romance!”

Sophie Jordan, New York Times bestselling author

Keep on reading for a book excerpt, review and rating, giveaway details, author information, and buy links.

From Neighbors With Benefits by Marissa Clarke:

“This shouldn’t happen…can’t happen.”

“Shouldn’t and can’t are very far apart, Mia. Which is it?”

“I can’t.” She could actually hear her own heartbeat. “No” wasn’t an answer Michael Anderson was accustomed to, but then, Mia wasn’t his usual fare. There had to be a way to make him understand. “If it were two years ago, we’d be naked on the floor of this car.”

He groaned.

“But I’m smarter now. Jason taught me to never eat french fries.”

His eyes narrowed at the mention of her ex. “What do french fries have to do with having sex with me?”

“Everything. See, you are the french fry. Delicious, salty, easy going down.”

“I need more than fast food, Michael. Like I told you last week on Bow Bridge, I need a true friend. Someone who wants me for me. Just like a french fry, you might be what I crave, but you’re not what I need as a regular diet to stay healthy.”

* ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review *

Neighbors With Benefits is the second book in the Anderson Brothers series by Melissa Clarke for Entangled Publishing’s Lovestruck imprint and the first book I’ve had the pleasure of reading by the author.

In the book, Michael Anderson is a rigid, self-centered, disillusioned CEO who is doing everything he can to regain the strict control he somehow lost, even if it means watching the dog from hell for his therapist. Of course, it doesn’t help that there’s a loud, music-blaring, art therapist house-sitter now living next door to him, and things only get crazier for him once he actually meets her. Because she’s cute, and crazy, and he’s attracted to her despite telling himself she’s the wrong woman to be attracted to.

This was such a terrific book! Funny and heartwarming, with characters that felt human and so very real. I loved control-addicted Michael from the second I started reading about him, because even though he’s a CEO of this big company, he’s still very human, still someone I could relate to and sympathize with, despite knowing he’s just a little bit messed in the head right now. His actions and thoughts rang true to his character and personality, and that really brought him to life on the page for me.

I loved Mia, the heroine, as well, though parts of her would likely drive me a tiny bit batty in real life because she’s just so zany and free-spirited, and yet, she also needs to do some serious self-reflection and realize there’s more to her than she thinks there is. She’s an excellent and fascinating character, and the perfect person to drive an uptight, control-driven Michael out of his comfort zone and shatter his beloved calm. She’s fun, vivacious, and there’s something about her that’s really honest and endearing, despite all the crazy that surrounds her in the book, particularly at the start.

I really loved the author’s writing style on this book. The voice and tone were smooth, fast-paced, and so enjoyable to read. There were so many amazingly funny moments in Neighbors with Benefits that I can only imagine how much fun author Marissa Clarke had in writing it. In fact, I loved and enjoyed this book so much I went and bought the first book in the Anderson Brother’s series,Sleeping With The Boss, and I’ll hunt down the rest of Marissa Clarke’s backlist, too. Because she’s an author to watch, and buy.

Marissa Clarke lives in Texas, where everything is bigger, especially the mosquitoes.

When not writing, she wrangles her rowdy pack of three teens, husband, and a Cairn Terrier named Annabel, who rules the house (and Marissa’s heart) with an iron paw. She loves to connect with readers, so follow/friend her on Facebook and Twitter or shoot her an email from her website “Contact” page.

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All review books have been provided by the publisher or author for free, via NetGalley or Edelweiss for free, or were purchased by Deanna Lynn via a brick and mortar store or through Amazon.com. We are not compensated for the reviews we post, so every review given is a fair and honest opinion about the work we read.